


At the End of the Road

by egocentrifuge



Series: Another We (RandL OC Fics) [6]
Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: M/M, Rabbit Lightning - Freeform, just big southern idiots, mild homophobia tw, pining fools, rohn - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-21
Updated: 2019-03-21
Packaged: 2019-11-26 23:37:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18186992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/egocentrifuge/pseuds/egocentrifuge
Summary: Redd’s tongue pokes out between his lips to wet them before he speaks, says the words Lohn’s known since they were children and he’d found himself in the role of Redd’s defender even though he were bigger'n all the other kids, since they were teens and Redd never dated, since they were adults and Redd were never so much as tempted by the women looking his way."I'm gay, Lohn."





	At the End of the Road

They’re home.

Well - they’re not home, exactly, but they’re back where they came from: Nowhere, North Carolina, still barely pushing 1000 heads strong. It hadn’t been a big show, considering there were less people in town than Rabbit Lightning had performed to that night in Nashville, but it’d been… good. Showing everyone they grew up with that’d tried to keep their ambition in check that Lohn Lightning and Redd “Rabbitclaw” Moonshine weren’t the burnouts everyone had said they were. A good, satisfying end to the tour, all things considered.

But still, Redd is quiet. Lohn moves around the motel room as sneaky as he can to give the man the illusion of privacy. They coulda gotten two rooms. They've been able to afford it for a while, but they’ve made do with one. Lohn feels bad about suggesting they skimp, now. He’d thought - well, he’d  _said_ that it made sense to save their money for more important things like gas and food and alcohol, but he’d  _thought_ that losing their together time after a show was… something he weren’t willing to do.

This is home, though, and home’s not always been kind to Redd, and Lohn shoulda thought about that before forcing Redd to share his come down with Lohn.

He’s wondering if it’d be kinder to disappear to the bathroom for a while or just go ahead and lay down and go to sleep when Redd rumbles to life.

“Trinity Cumbo asked after you,” he says. It’s not what Lohn expected him to be ruminating on, not when this were the town Redd’s daddy’d been arrested in, so he’s slow to answer.

“That right?" He casts his mind back to Trinity. That'd been a good two weeks. "Ain’t she married, now?”

Redd lets out the ghost of a laugh. “Weren’t like that. She asked how we were doing.”

Lohn gets a flush of pride - they’d  _seen_ how Redd and Lohn were doing, heard their music, seen the tour posters.  "Seems like she shoulda been able to tell.“ He realizes he’s grinning when Redd looks over and his eyes find Lohn’s mouth before gradually wandering back up to his eyes.

“She didn’t mean it like that, brother.” Redd half-shrugs. “Told me so, when I told her ‘bout Nashville. Said she meant - ” One hand comes up to gesture in between them, and the air seems to get sucked outta Lohn’s chest as he starts to get it. “Us. Whether we were gonna - get married, now that the government said we could and all.”

Lohn laughs creakily because it’s the only thing he can think to do. “Trinity always were a bit - catty,” he manages. It’s not the word he wants to use but he’d been raised right, or at least, in fear. All of them had. Community as small as theirs and they didn’t have room for rudeness - or deviants.

But - “She weren’t being mean. She said she were sorry, for when we was kids. Said her daughter was gay.” Redd’s hands are soothing over his jeans repetitively. It’s the only sound in the room right now, ‘cuz Lohn ain’t hardly breathing.

“Ah. What’d you - say?”

“I gave her my number, to give to her kid. So she could call me.”

Lohn brings up a hand to rub at his chest, the ache that’s building under his ribs. “Why?”

Redd’s tongue pokes out between his lips to wet them before he speaks, says the words Lohn’s known since they were children and he’d found himself in the role of Redd’s defender even though he were bigger'n all the other kids, since they were teens and Redd never dated, since they were adults and Redd were never so much as tempted by the women looking his way.

“Because I’m gay, Lohn. And I don’t want her to be alone in it like I were.”

“You,” Lohn starts, has to stop to get air back in his lungs to speak, “you weren’t alone, brother. I, uh…”

Redd offers Lohn a small smile. “Naw, you had my back.”

Lohn ain’t ready to say it, don't think he ever will be, but he'n Redd have always been in this together and if Redd’s taking that step Lohn’s sure as hell gonna be there beside him.

“Not what I meant,” he forces out. He can feel his heartbeat in every bit of him, steady as any of their songs. “I - I always, girls are - ” Lohn gestures vaguely in a may meant to encompass  _phwoar_ , because each word is a monumental task. “But I always… ”

Lohn had looked away, not willing to see Redd’s reaction, but he finds himself looking back automatically for help finishing his thought. Redd is staring at him intently, mouth slightly open but not speaking; Lohn knows he’s gonna have to put words to it himself.

Afraid his ribs are going to crack if he keeps it inside any longer, Lohn swallows. Takes a deep breath. Manages, finally, “Both. I like both. Girls and boys. Women and, ah, men.”

Redd’s hands have stopped moving on his thighs now, but Lohn can hear Redd’s too quick breaths whistling through his nose.

They’d known. They’d both known, after thirty years, that this were as committed as two people could be to one another. Known that they’d built their lives sointertwined that separation would be as drawn out as any divorce. But there’s a difference between knowing and  _saying_ , and saying and  _doing_ , and bridging that gap had seemed - impossible.

But times were changing. Times, perhaps, had already changed, if Trinity Cumbo were apologizing.

Redd stands up from the edge of his bed so slowly, one shaking hand creeping forward until it’s outstretched, palm up, towards Lohn.

They’d known. They’d said. And now, as Lohn takes swaying steps until he’s close enough to put his hand in Redd’s, they’re home.

**Author's Note:**

> find me at egocentrifuge dot tumblr dot com


End file.
